I speak frequently to officials in the building and construction trades and I've telling them about aerogels and "frozen smoke" (or "solid smoke") for some time. Alas, it's true that a picture (or in this case a video) is worth a thousand words. Please observe the scene with the blow torch. It's impressive stuff. In [...]

For the past six months a local bridge in my neighborhood has been undergoing a major renovation. Initially, I considered it quite a hassle because the bridge served as a link to my favorite grocery and liquor stores (and this summer has been very hot and I enjoy a cold beer!) Over time, I've adjusted. I [...]

We like to believe we assess the truthfulness of information according to objective standards. According to new research, this isn't so. People, it seems, can be influenced by something as simple as a headline or a decorative photo. (For an example, see this old post.) In other words, while a picture may be worth a [...]

“We are so good at seeing patterns that, often, we see them where they don’t exist.” --Michael Mauboussin Question #26: If you flip a coin 14 times which is more likely to occur: a) The coin will land on "heads" 14 straight times (H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H); or b) this random outcome: T-T-H-T-H-H-H-T-T-H-T-H-T-T? The answer is that the [...]

I'm in Princeton, New Jersey today to deliver a keynote presentation on the future of the eBook. Many people want to know if "the book is dead?" That's the wrong question to ask. The correct question is this: Has the book ever been more alive?

If a new lawyer could perform a specific legal service for you faster, more accurately and for less money, would you hire that lawyer? Would you still hire that lawyer if it was a computer? The question is a serious one and more businesses need to begin asking themselves this very question. Today's WSJ.com has [...]

"Most people aren't trained to want to face the process of re-understanding a subject they already know. One must obtain not just literacy, but deep involvement and re-understanding." This wonderful quotation is from Charles Eames and comes compliments of Brain Pickings--a marvelously curated weekly newsletter for the insatiably curious. It reminded me of this quotation [...]

The future is accelerating. The rate of change is itself changing and becoming ever faster. One of the consequences of this state of affairs is that knowledge is becoming obsolete at an ever accelerating pace. This leads to a paradox: Education is becoming both less and more important at the same time. It's becoming less [...]

Today, a colonoscopy can cost anywhere between $500 and $4000 within a single zipcode; and even though telepresence is extraordinarily fast, cheap and widespread, it is still difficult to get immediate access to a physician. Both are unacceptable and both problems, thankfully, are about to be resolved. Castlight Health recently received $100 million in funding [...]

"Every mile you go in the wrong direction is really a two mile error. Unlearning is twice as hard as learning." --Unknown Question #25: Imagine the Roman Numeral equation below is made out of ten toothpick sticks such that “I” equals one stick and the “X” “+” and “=” all represent two sticks: XI + [...]